Kevin Reilly On The Future Of 'House', 'Terra Nova' And 'Fringe'; No 'Glee' Spinoff: TCA

With so many Fox series in limbo for next season, the network’s entertainment president Kevin Reilly spent the entire TCA executive session fielding questions about the future of veteran medical drama House, low-rated sci-fi drama Fringe, freshman Terra Nova and musical dramedy Glee, leaving virtually no time for him to brag about the Fox ratings gains this past fall. (He still found a way to mention the network’s 14% year-to-year ratings increase in one of his answers.)

In a nutshell, no decision has been made on House, Terra Nova or Fringe. Things don’t look good for Fringe, though it, along with House, will get satisfying finales if this proves to be the end of the road for them. Glee meanwhile looks very good to return though the plan for a spinoff has been scrapped. And, oh yeah, low-rated freshman animated comedy Allen Gregoryhas been officially canceled. Here are the details from Reilly, who also addressed the future of American Idol host Ryan Seacrest:

On Glee: “There will be no spinoff. The characters (who are seniors) will be graduating. (Co-creator) Ryan Murphy and the guys have come up with a really cool idea… that I think is going to really give us something cool to dig into next season. … It would be a cool season next year.” Despite the enthusiastic thumbs-up, Reilly declined to confirm that Glee is definitely coming back for a fourth season, saying that those discussions have not been held. Of the cast, he confirmed that star Lea Michele will come back.

On House: “This is not going to be the pink slip goes out and this is the end of House. We haven’t had the big meeting (with the producers) about what we want to do. It is no secret that it will be a close call, we said in May that it would probably be the show’s last year, but we just haven’t made the decision. Should it be the last season, this is not going to be an unceremonious finish. … It will absolutely have a satisfying conclusion on Fox.” As for the possibility of a House spinoff, ideas have been floated in the past but “that time has come and gone,” Reilly said.

On Terra Nova: “If the show hadn’t worked, I still wouldn’t be apologizing (for picking up Terra Nova). It is proving that it was worthwhile; it is the second highest-rated new drama, one of the highest-rated new shows of the season. It has distinct audience, though the perception kind of got away from us. If this is all we make (of Terra Nova), we made money on it, the studio made money on it, and it seems to have resonated with the family audience. There is a show, which if we are to bring back, there’s an audience there. But creatively, the show was hunting (for its identity), and we are trying to figure out … is that the best show (we can make). If we had more holes in our network, we’d be thrilled to lock that right in.” While not ready to commit right away because of the logistical demands of the CGI-heavy drama, “we won’t be able to drag our feet for much longer,” Reilly said.

On Fringe: First the good. “Fringe has been a point of pride for me, I share the fans’ passion for the show. I love the fact that with it Fox put genre back on the network. I’m grateful to the fans who followed the show to Fridays, and with Fringe there, we have a real Friday night for the first time.” Then came the bad. “We lose a lot of money on the show. At that rating on that night it’s almost impossible for us to make money. We are not in the business of losing money, so we’re trying to figure out if there a number at which we can continue with the series. We haven’t even sat down with the producers yet.”

On Allen Gregory: “We will not be making more Allen Gregory,” Reilly said. “We tried it.” He said the decision to pick up the show was made while the future of The Simpsons was in limbo because of the difficult cast re-negotiations and the deal with Seth MacFarlane for a Flintstones reboot had not been made yet. “Our goal was to keep as many as possible of our the legacy shows intact but continue to take shots with the next-generation (animated) shows. It turned out Allen Gregory wasn’t one of them.” But Reilly noted that he has high expectations for sophomore Bob’s Burgers, which he said will likely go to the next level and be part of Fox’s next generation of animated hits.

Recent Comments

I love FRINGE and am horrified that they are considering cancelling the series. There are some good...

Shannon

3 years

Terra nova needs a season 2 because in the last episode they need to go tot the...

N

3 years

Please please keep Terra Nova. I love the show and my friends love the show. You can...

On Ryan Seacrest, whose deal for American Idol is up after this season: “As we know it is a much harder job than meets the eye. I thnk everyone has come to realize the value of Ryan Seacrest. It’s very hard to imagine American Idol without Ryan. We certainly want to keep him.”

On how long The Simpsons can go: “We have 3 1/2 more seasons in the can. From there, I just have no idea.”

On benching Glee and New Girl three weeks after their premieres to accommodate baseball and two weeks of The X Factor, which resulted in steep ratings drops: “No apologies or excuses, it was the dynamics of the schedule.”

47 Comments

My personal desire is that Glee is canceled. I am delighted that there will be no spin-off.

Sam • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Why in the world do you have such a wish– just don’t watch the show!!!!!

Ravey Davey • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

No one was watching it, that’s the reason it’s getting canned

brian • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Translation, “My personal desire is that hundreds of hard working people, who produce a show that many people watch, are put on the unemployment line. I’m a loser.”

Matt • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Too bad about Allen Gregory, it was actually starting to get funny, but I am glad to hear Bob’s Burgers return, Even though all the characters are annoying in that show EXCEPT Bob.

Shaun Daily - Las Vegas • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Seems like he liked what he saw in the last 3-4 eps of Terra Nova and wants more of the same

How about getting writer or 2 from The Walking Dead to hekp ramp up the danger.

scifi_fan • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

The Walking Dead works fine on cable, but the heavy character focus might be too slow for broadcast and the insane levels of gore would definitely not be allowed. And Terra Nova actually gets a larger audience right now: 7M vs The Walking Dead’s 6M or so.

That just goes to show why a nichey series can be a hit on cable and another nichey series can flop on broadcast: different expectations for audience levels. Cable success can’t just be ported over to broadcast willy-nilly. They are different animals.

Celoriu • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Total viewers don’t really matter these days. It’s all about the demo. And in those terms, The Walking Dead’s current numbers would actually be a hit in any broadcast network, while Terra Nova is nothing short of a flop.

finn • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

If they keep Terra Nova it will only be because of the power of one dinosaur, Steven Spielberg. I hope Fox stands up to him. The show sucks.

Truth Police • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Sadly, Fringe is so good, yet it’s ratings suck. I hope they keep it, but they’ll probably cancel it for a cheap reality or game show. Friday night slot killed the show.

Ed • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

False, the Friday night slot kept it on the air even longer. If they had shows on Friday already, Fringe’s ratings on other nights would have gotten it cancelled.

swimtwobirds • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

MORE FRINGE PLEASE.

Parker • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

I love Fringe… I’m hoping they can find a way to cut some costs and pick up sponsors to keep this show going. Just looking at it I can see where they could easily cut costs on SFX… they need them for the show… but some episodes are over the top… concentrate on story, on characters, you’re fans will stay with you and it could eventually “make” money.

TomKo44 • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Ya know… reading your post made me think. Why not try and court a specific sponsor for Fringe. Get the fan-base behind it and instead of the “save our show” stuff going to the network, pester a company with deep pockets that could truly sponsor it. Maybe a high tech company like Microsoft, Apple, Intel or Google. Bring it back to the early days of TV when individual companies sponsored a show.

David • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

I wish TERRIBLE NONSENSE (Terra Nova) would be candled, but if they do bring it back they should try actually having dinosaurs in every episode and not just for an establishing shot or for the occasional plot point.

scifi_fan • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

The dinos are too expensive even used sparsely for the audience levels they’re getting. They need to improve the cheaper aspects of the production, the writing and acting, to bring the audience levels up to a point where they can afford the dinos. A show that banks on expensive eye-candy to bring in an audience simply wouldn’t work financially.

Delores • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

I enjoy Terra Nova as we finally have something other that a forensic show. I am so tired of CSE, NCIS ectra. At least with Terra Nova we have a different style of show to watch

observer • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Glad that they’re keeping Fringe around for awhile longer. Looks like they’ve learned re: cancelling fan-fave cult shows too soon (i.e. “Dollhouse,” “Sarah Connor,” “Firefly” etc). And “Terra Nova” isn’t as bad as people (internet/Deadline trolls mostly) say it is. FOX is the only net that still takes sci-fi/genre stuff seriously (and don’t mention LOST on ABC as that show didn’t start out being sci-fi, it started out as a drama version of Survivor; bait-and-switch).

Agree with AndersonC, enough with Glee already.

r0ckmypants • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

1) Where in this article did you read that they were keeping Fringe around for a while longer? Because that was never written.

2) They’ve learned what from cancelling cult shows? Dollhouse (which I absolutely loved) was a flop while it was on the air and then a flop when it was released on DVD. Firefly didn’t do well in original airings but sold well on DVD, so perhaps they regretted that cancellation… but I doubt enough to keep something Fringe, which is the network’s lowest-rated show and admittedly hemorrhages money, on the air for longer than need be.

3) There was a monster in the jungle, which killed the plane’s pilot, in Lost’s very first episode; how does that correlate to a “drama version of Survivor” in any way? It was partially sci-fi from the start.

scifi_fan • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

The lesson in Terra Nova is that there is a family audience looking for shows to watch, but it’s not wise to spend a lot of money on showing them fancy dinosaurs because they’re not numerous enough to pay the bills. I’m sure they’d be just as happy with a cheaper non-sci-fi show.

In the meantime, sci fi fans are hating on the teen romance/formulaic aspects of Terra Nova and have rejected it. Terra Nova is yet another show that fell between the cracks of two audience groups. FOX needs to cancel it and try something else in the timeslot, that caters to one or the other of those two groups.

INterested Observer • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Cancel all four shows and you light a fire under your development team to deliver something truly worthwhile. And how EXACTLY is Terra Nova profitable but Fringe isn’t?

absolutelyanonymous • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

how is terra nova possibly profitable at a cost of $4m per ep plus a pilot that allegedly cost $15m-$20 and ratings of 3m-4m per ep for A18-49? can someone in the know please explain? and what, exactly, is this show supposed to be?

Esquire • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

I’m going to assume that Fringe is going to be cancelled at the moment. That way, any other news is better. But I hope they can conclude the show in a proper way if the fourth does turn out to be the last.

There are obviously some behind the scenes issues with Terra Nova or he wouldn’t have to ‘drag their feet’ on it’s future.

Philly Boy • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Did he say anything about “Raising Hope?” I love that show!

kenny • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Tara move should be renewed it is really good show for families and their aren’t many of those.

MexyMartini • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Scarlett agrees.

jojo • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

TERRA NOVA just needs better Co-Stars and more Jason O’Mara. Magic happens when the humanity of the characters become the heavier focus. That is only possible with good actors. They need to pick a Character and follow the daily experience of living in Terra Nova from his or her point of view, for longer than one episode.

With the Sci-Fi twist and the premise of the show, there is SO much opportunity for more social, and political commentary. STAR TREK is what it is for more than 1 reason…

jojo • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

… Gene Roddenberry used The Star-Ship enterprise and it’s 5 year mission, as a beacon for discovery in our own human behavior. He only called it a mission for science. So Star Trek turned into a vehicle for our primal selves to come out.

TERRA NOVA can easily do that, with the right tweeks. Just because we’re in Terra Nova looking for a new beginning, doesn’t mean we don’t lie, cheat, get pregnant, steal, lust, miscarry, divorce and have our period. We just do it while trying not to get eaten by raptors.

SO KEEP TERRA NOVA ON THE AIR!

Jed • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

FOX needs to seriously think about expanding their primetime to three hours a night weeknights down the road and start competing in the 10 PM ET hour as well and make room for newer shows, but who knows if this is going to happen or not, due to affiliates airing newscasts but it’s a possibility.

in other words fringe will be soon joining the other sci fi shows fox had in the friday night death slot . which should have been where terra nova belongs which means odds are fox keeps terra nova but fringe is done with and glad no more alan gregory.

mike • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Bring back Terra Nova with a new writing team.

Ray • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

Fringe benefits from watching the previous seasons.

If you’re just jumping in for the first time, then it won’t make much sense.

I hope they keep Fringe around for at least one more season to tie any story arcs.

Kelly Hughes • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

On what planet is Terra Nova the second-highest rated new drama? It gets tiny numbers. Tiny like a giant dinosaur’s brain.

wjm • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

it not just airing in the us you do know that do you

it’s world wide unlike some other shows

FrimgeFan • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

FRINGE is by far the best of the lot, as well as one of the very best on network television. I hope Fox & the producers find a way to keep the how going a while longer. A 5th season would be nice if the producers can also find a way to keep character development and story arc going strong. Fringe has this far continued to prove the best written, acted, directed, and produced show and all with having the respect for their audience to keep up. Now, if only they could get David Fincher to direct a few episodes!

PastePotPete • on Jan 8, 2012 12:22 pm

If they cancel Fringe they should shift the writing staff over to Terra Nova. I’m sure they could come up with better storylines than the bratty teenagers and Lost rip-offs the show features currently.